An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Alvan Gurumnaan, testified on Tuesday at the special offences court in Ikeja, Lagos, that the agency did not force Henry Omoile, co-defendant of Godwin Emefiele, ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to make statements.
Gurumnaan appeared during the trial-within-trial in the ongoing case against Emefiele and Omoile. Emefiele faces a 19-count charge related to receiving gratification and corrupt demands as CBN governor, while Omoile is facing a three-count charge of unlawful acceptance of gifts by a public officer.
A prosecution witness had earlier testified that he routinely collected cash in dollars from some individuals for Emefiele and handed it to Omoile on the orders of the ex-CBN governor.
During the trial on October 9, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo sought to admit Omoile’s extra-judicial statements as evidence. However, Kotoye Adeyinka, Omoile’s lawyer, contended that the statements were not voluntarily made. Consequently, Ramon Oshodi, the trial judge, ordered a trial-within-trial to determine if the statements were obtained under duress.
Tuesday’s Proceedings
Gurumnaan, formerly of the EFCC Lagos zonal command’s special operations unit, explained that Omoile made his statements at the agency’s conference room in Block A, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, on February 26 and 27, 2024, in the presence of his lawyer, E. N. Offiong.
He confirmed that Omoile made four statements—three on February 26 and one on February 27—and that no officer coerced him in any way.
“The second defendant did not make any statement under duress. Our officers do not force statements through violence or intimidation,” Gurumnaan said. “The statements were signed by the second defendant. He even wrote, ‘I am making this statement in the presence of my lawyer, Offiong.’”
The EFCC operative tendered the visitors’ register as evidence to corroborate the lawyer’s presence, which was not explicitly mentioned in one of the statements.
During cross-examination, Gurumnaan admitted that no video recording was made while Omoile’s statements were being taken, despite it being standard EFCC practice. He explained that operational circumstances sometimes prevent video recording.
The trial judge adjourned proceedings to Thursday, January 15, and Friday, January 16, 2026.